High pressure discharge unit



Aug. 15, 1933. A. E. BERDoN HIGH BRESSURE DISCHARGE UNIT Filed June l0,1929 Patented Aug. 15. 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HIGH PRESSUREDISCHARGE UNIT Albert E. Berden, East Orange, N. J., assigner to A CSpark Plug Company, Flint, Mich., a Com- Dany of Michigan This inventionrelates to means and methods for promoting the advance of liquids, suchas engine fuels containing limited quantities of absorbed or-entrainedair and/or vapors, through pipes `connected with reciprocatory pumps, orthe like; and itY is" aparticular object yof this invention to provide,for the general purpose referred to,V a simple and inexpensive deviceadapted to be incorporated in or attached at .or near to the inlet orthe outlet from a fuel pump, or the like, and to collect and retain airand/or vapors from the pumped fueL-in such manner as to provide aself-replenishing air dome and thereby substantially to enhance theefficiency of the pumping system in which said device may be included.

A device somewhat similar to that upon which protection is herein soughthas been described 2/0 and claimed in my pending application Liquid fuelfeed system" Serial No. 243,781, filed December 3l, 1927; but thepresent invention differstherefrom in numerous details, being de-.cidedly simpler and entirely suitable for use at comparatively highpressure,-although resem= bling the mentioned prior device in its'general principle of operation. It is believed that the embodimentsherein describedmay satisfactorily illustrate both the generalprinciples referred to, in their generic aspects,land the range ofutility of such devices in connection with intermittently acting meansfor advancing a liquid.

Other objects of the present invention, which need include but one ortwo parts (said parts being preferably radially symmetrical withreference to alongitudinal and preferably substantially vertical axis orline of advance of the pumped liquidv therethrough, and being preferablyprovided with separable connecting means such as a male thread at oneend and a female thread at the other end, in such manner as to permit ofthe direct and easy insertion of the device in a fuel feed or fueldelivery line) may be best appreciated vvfrom the following descriptionsof illustrative embodiments of the present invention, taken inconnection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 m'ay be regarded as a median vertical vsection through anembodiment of the present invention as applied to a pump outlet whichextends in a horizontal direction,-one element ofy this device beingadapted to serve as an elbow.

Figure 2 is a corresponding viewjof an alterna- Itive form lin whichparts are shown partially in bodiments of this invention.

Referring rst to certain details common to the forms shown in Figures 1and 2, an outer cylindrical chamber element 11 or 11' is shown asprovided with a female thread at l2 or 12', suitable to receive a pipe13 or 13', which may be connected with the float bowl of a carburetor.or the like, not shown; and an inner conical and downwardly iiaring andbubble-collecting bell element 14 or 14' is shown as so interttingwithin the said cylindrical element as to provide a bubbleg-passingclearance at the lower edge l5 75 or 15' of said bell,-enabling bubbles,such as may form and coalesce upon the interior of said bell (by reasonof the downward expansion and inclination of its walls) peripherally toescape past the mentioned edge and to rise into an annular chamber 16 or16,Whose inner and outer walls are respectively provided by said belland by said cylindrical element. The mentioned elements may beinterconnected by any suitable means, such as a female thread, shown asprovided at 17 or 17' within the upper end of the cylindrical element,and a male thread. shown as provided at 18 or 18', upon a rbody 19 or19', integral with said bell,-said body being shown as provided with anannular'channel 20 90 or 20', upwardly terminating the bubble-receivingchamber 16 or 16 and enlarging the same.

In the form shown in Figure 1, the body 19 has the form of an elbowthrough which extend .passages 21 and 22, the former being co- 95 axialwith the bell 14 and the latter extending into a projection 23, .shownas'provided at 24 with a male thread, suitable for engagement within acorresponding thread provided in an outlet from a fuel pump 25,including a reciprocatory diaphragm, or'the like.

In the form shown in Figure 2, the extension 23' is shown as co-axialwith the bell 14', the entire device being radially symmetrical withreference to its longitudinal axis and the male thread at 24' beingsuitable to cooperate with a corresponding thread in a downwardlyextending outlet from a reciprocatory pump 25', or the like.

In perfecting devices of the described types, it

may usually be advantageous to form the same in two parts, andfrequently advantageous to obtain the desired bubble-passing clearance,at the lower edge 15 of any downwardly expanding element such as thebell 14, by providing, opposite said edge, a groove or channel 26 or26';

. and incidental weakening of the lower elementl may be obviated byexternally providing a noncircular or other wrench-engageablereinforcement as suggested at 27 and 27'. This reinforcement may havesubstantially the same outside dimensions as a correspondingwrench-engageable'reinforcement 28', optionally provided upon the body19 or 19,-whether the bell isformed integral therewith oras a separatetubular thimble gripped between the threaded members refererd to orotherwise held (as in specic forms illustrated in the mentioned priorappli-` cation).

In operation, as above implied, both a peripheral slowing of the streamof pumped liquidY and a succession of impulses therein are favorable toa gradual separation of bubbles from an outer and slow-moving zone;andthe slope of the interior of the bell, or that of any preferredelement providing downwardly divergent walls so disposed as to ',eifecta progressive retardation at the periphery of a streamdirectly'advanc'ing therethrough, is intended to be such of theresultant self-replenished bodyof entrapped gas and/or Vapor serves toproduce an even flow beyond said bell,-maintaining the advance of thepumped liquid during intervals wherein an adjacent, Valve 'of thementioned pump, in the case illustrated, may be entirely closed. The useof these devices is found particularly advantageous at the outlets offuel pumps; but it should be understood that, if desired, -either -thebell-including element or the cylindrical or other chamber element maybe formed integral with a pump or pump part, ac-

cording as the device is to be employed separately or at the outletopening or the inlet opening of a pump. For example, itis suggested inFigure 3 that a vapor-receiving chamber element 11a serve incidentallyto retain inlet valve spring` 29a; and a bell element 14h is shown aswholly interior andsimilarly holding an outlet valve spring 29h of apump 25ab, including a reciprocable diaphragm 30ab.

Although I have herein described but two separable and two built-inembodiments of the present invention (annular chamber 1Gb being formeddirectly in the pump body) it should be understood not only that variousfeatures thereof may be independently employed, but that other angularand special modifications of said' invention, adapted to be used underdifferent conditions and in connection with a feed line 30a and/or adelivery line 13, 13' or 13b, might easily be devised, without involvingin the slightest departure from the present invention. For example,liquid fuels ordinarily contain both 4low-boiling vapors and air due toexposure and/or splash in a tank; but it. would be Within the scope ofthe present invention, in the absence of l.these conditions, toprovidefor or permit (by leakage in connection with indicated gaskets orotherwise) for a sufficientadmission oflair into the fuel line toassurel operation in-`V the ldescribed mannenwith very marked andfavorable effects upon the efficiency of the fuel pump and/or any systemin which the present invention is employed. In any case, when anadjacent valve is closed, the liquid may advance in consequence of anacquired momentum and/or by reason of the pressure of the Ientrapped airand/or vapor; thse devices may be used with some advantage in anystveams containing air or vapors; and the pitchof the disclosed bells,as well askthe direction in which they expand, may naturally depend`upon not only the direction but the l"rate of 'advance of theliquidwhether such advance is -producedby pulsating or other means. i

1. In an auxiliary device suitable for use in proximity to parts of areciprocatory pump for liquid fuel: a downwardly expanding bell elementprovided with an inlet opening to its inerior at the top thereof; and anannular chamber element surrounding said bell and extending above andbelow the lower edge thereof and having an outlet opening below saidedge and arranged in line with said bell, and which opening is ofgreater area than the lower end of said bell, to receive and entrapabove said edge bubbles outwardly separating from the pumped liquidduring its descent through said bell and outlet opening.

2. In an auxiliary device suitable for use in proximity to parts of areciprocatory pump for liquid fuel: a downwardly expanding elementprovided with an inlet'opening to its interior at the top thereof; andan annular chamber element surrounding said downwardly expanding elementand extending above the lower edge thereof to receive and entrap bubblesoutwardly separatingfrom the pumped liquid dur.- ing its descent throughsaid4 bell,-said chamber element having a threaded interconnection withan enlarged portion of said belly element above the lower edge thereof,the latter forming a cover for the former.

3. In an auxiliary device suitable for use in proximity to parts of areciprocatory pump for liquid fuel: a downwardly flaring bell elementprovided with an inlet -opening to its interior at the top thereof: andan annular chamber r^`element surrounding said bell element andextending above the lower edge thereof to receive and entrap bubblesoutwardly separating from the pumped liquid during its descent throughsaid bell,-said bell element being upwardly and outwardly shaped,externally thereof, to form a cover for said chamber element andcooperate therewith in providing an annular chamber serving as an airdome.

4. In an auxiliary device suitable for use in advancing liquid fuel: abell element provided with an inlet; and an annular chamber elementsurrounding said bell element and extending above the lower edge thereofand having an enlarged chamber adjacent said lower edge to receive andentrap bubbles outwardly separating from the pumped liquid during itsadvance through said bell,-a bubble-passing constriction being .providedbetween said lower edge of said bell and said annular chamber element;and an outlet leading from said enlarged chamber above and below thelower edge of said conical element and adapted to receive said bubblesand entrap the same above said, edge; and thereby to provideself-replenishing elastic means for enhancing the ow of said liquid andsaid chamber element below said edge being enlarged and converging to anoutlet opening for said liquid.

ALBERT E. BERDON.

